Finding and defeating the Ender Dragon in Minecraft is essential for completing the game, as it triggers the credits upon leaving the area after the battle. To prepare for this intense fight, players must equip themselves with the right items and understand critical strategies.
Items to Bring to the Fight
Before entering the battle, gather necessary items. You’ll need three full stacks of scaffolding to reach the tops of the pillars where the End Crystals are located. Scaffolding allows for easier vertical movement compared to water buckets, which can be tricky. Additionally, a water bucket is crucial for self-defense against the numerous Endermen present in the arena.
You should also bring a full stack of golden carrots to quickly restore health if needed. To collect Dragon’s Breath, which is beneficial for crafting potions, carry three stacks of empty glass bottles. Equip your best weapons, including a Netherite sword with suitable enchantments and a bow with the Infinity enchantment for unlimited arrows. Full diamond or Netherite armor is recommended, and a carved pumpkin can be worn to avoid Endermen attacks at the cost of visibility.
Don’t forget to bring a bed and a chest filled with spare armor and weapons. Set your respawn location with the bed before jumping through the End portal. Lastly, have building blocks like cobblestone available to create a bridge if you spawn on a separate platform.
How to Destroy the Tower Crystals and Cages
Upon entering the End, you’ll notice several pillars crowned with End Crystals. Two of these pillars will have cages. Destroying the crystals is vital since they heal the Ender Dragon. You can shoot the crystals with your bow or climb the towers using scaffolding to directly hit the crystals and destroy the cages with a pickaxe.
Be attentive as knocking out a crystal while the Dragon is tethered to it, indicated by a beam connecting them, will deal additional damage during the fight.
Avoiding Endermen
Endermen will become hostile if you make eye contact. To mitigate this threat, it’s best to not look directly at them, but if you accidentally do, you can create a safe zone by placing water. Standing in the water will prevent them from approaching, though keep an eye on the Ender Dragon’s Dragon’s Breath attacks.
How to Kill the Ender Dragon
Now you can start damaging the Ender Dragon. Use your bow to strike at it while it flies, taking note to avoid looking at Endermen. The Dragon has hitboxes on its head, body, wings, and tail, with headshots doing the most damage.
When the Ender Dragon lands on its perch made of Bedrock, switch to melee attacks for maximum impact, but be cautious of its wings, which can cause damage. Collect Dragon’s Breath as you battle, and keep attacking it until its health is depleted.
Ender Dragon Drops
When you defeat the Ender Dragon, you’ll earn 12,000 XP orbs, a substantial boost for leveling up. Additionally, the Dragon Egg will appear. To collect it without destroying it, hit it once to make it drop from the portal, then place a torch below it, breaking the block underneath. The egg will fall on the torch, making it collectible. This also grants the "The Next Generation" achievement.
Lastly, defeating the Dragon opens portals to the End Islands, granting access to rare items like Elytra and Shulker Boxes.
How to Resummon the Ender Dragon
To summon the Ender Dragon again, four End Crystals are required. Place one crystal on each side of the central block of the Dragon’s perch. This will generate beams from each crystal, leading to the creation of new End Crystals and will prompt the Dragon’s resurrection.
Now that you are well-versed in defeating the Ender Dragon, check out additional resources and guides on Minecraft for further tips and strategies.
